Black Guard, The (15 page)

"Why did you do that?"
Abram yelled, catching Adam in his arms.

"You don’t point weapons at
people. They are not toys," I said quietly, and noticed the Colonel and
Lieutenant smiling.

"It wasn’t loaded."

"Under no circumstances, Mr.
Sapir. Adam, when you are ready, another demonstration, please."

He steadied himself, wanting
desperately to attack me. Sanity won out. He turned toward the targets and
drew, then again four more times.

"Thank you, Adam." I
waved everyone to me. "You will get an official report from the Guard, but
I will tell you my initial assessment. First, the holster for the weapon is
unacceptable. It hinders the drawing of the weapon by several seconds. The
lightness of the weapon is an improvement over our existing Mfw; however, shortening
the barrels affects its accuracy—"

"You only fired it once! That’s
not a test! Colonel…" Abram looked to Odelia.

"Colonel, if you would please
check the targets for the projectiles." I waved at the targets the
corporal had retrieved. He shrugged and looked through the targets.

"Yes, the projectiles hit
slightly to the left of the twenty-five meter target and two centimeters to the
left on the fifty meter target." He gave a wry smile. "But you only
fired one projectile at each target."

"Adam, load your Mfw with one
round of each type and holster it. Then prepare to fire on the targets in the
order I did." I turned to Yarden. "Do you have a stopwatch?" I
asked. When he nodded I continued. "When Adam says he’s ready, time him
for ten-seconds then shout ’stop.’ You will do the same for me except in
three-seconds. Adam, you don’t have to hit the bull’s-eye, just the target, so
don’t spend a lot of time aiming."

Yarden went to the table, found a
stopwatch, and went to stand behind Adam and me as we took positions on the
firing line. When Adam indicated he was ready, Yarden shouted,
"Start." And pressed the stopwatch button. Adam drew the weapon,
pointed at the twenty-five meter target, fired, then at the fifty, fired—missing
them both—and was checking the screen to change to shards when Yarden
shouted, "Stop." He looked to me and when I nodded, shouted,
"Start"

Reflexively, I slapped the handle
of the Mfw—which released the push-and-release mechanism, swiveled the
weapon ninety degrees on its middle hinge—which freed it, and fired
twice. I thumbed the switch to engage the shards, fired once, widened the range
with my index finger and fired again, thumbed for the explosive projectiles,
and had fired the second round as Yarden shouted, "Stop."

"If you would have someone
collect the targets, Lieutenant, and if you wouldn’t mind reviewing them,
Colonel, I’d appreciate it." I waited as they were retrieved and the
Colonel and Yarden looked at them. Yarden was shaking his head in disbelief;
the Colonel just smiled.

"Every shot in the center of
the bull’s-eye, Captain Sapir."

"I only need one shot to
determine the accuracy of a weapon. The shorter barrel affects the accuracy.
The switching mechanism is totally unacceptable as it requires you to take your
eyes off the target, and the increased shard width and rounds per minute are
not features that would benefit the Guard. This Mfw is unacceptable to the
Guard." I held up my hand before anyone could speak. "However, it may
be acceptable to the army or commandos. There, the increased shard width and
rounds per minute would be beneficial and the small decrease in accuracy of
little importance to troops who aren’t expert shots."

As Abram and Adam walked back to
the table to gather their equipment, heads together, Alvah approached me.

"That was an impressive
demonstration, Captain Sapir. One I doubt I’ll ever forget."

"Standard Guard performance.
I’ll give you some advice. Before you design a weapon for someone, check out
their present weapon and then find out how it is used by them. The army,
commandos, and Guard all work in different environments and have unique needs.
The Guard’s need is speed and precision. How fast you can get your weapon is as
important as how good a weapon it is."

 
"Thank you, Rivka," He smiled.
"It was a pleasure to meet you. If you are ever in town, I’d love to talk
with you." He bowed and walked back to Abram and Adam.

"Why the emphasis on accuracy?
Just keep shooting until you kill him," Yarden said as we walked back to
the vehicle.

"In a building, a man peeks
out from a doorway or darts across a hallway, you only get one shot. Any more
are a waste of ammo. And if you miss, he gets a turn."

Yarden laughed. "Makes
sense."

When Commander Wexler approached,
Dragon Tzadok and I stood and bowed low. We had been resting after several
hours of practicing Wuji.

"Mr. Sapir didn’t like your
evaluation. He claims you misrepresented the capabilities of the Sapir Mfw in
order to get revenge for him being forced to send you to the Jax military
because of the Conscript Law. He claims his weapon is in fact superior to our
present one. Any comment?"

"No, sir."

"He even sent the gun as
proof. And it was proof," he said, pausing for my reaction. When I said
nothing he continued. "I think you were right, it might be acceptable to
the army or commandos but not the Guard. A well written report and evaluation,
and good advice someone seeking revenge wouldn’t have given." His eyes
turned towards Tzadok. "How is she doing, Dragon?"

"Since I’ve determined she
doesn’t care if she makes dragon rank, I can tell you she will. Dragon Dobrin
and I will test her next time we’re all together."

"I thought so. She makes me
nervous like you and Dobrin," he said, and walked away laughing.

"He’s right. Dragons tend to
be at peace with themselves and when it rains doss, we tend to forget about
tradition and do what we feel is right. That makes us somewhat
unpredictable—like you at Lanzhou. Don’t worry about it. The Commander
compensates by giving us untraditional assignments, knowing we love the Guard
as much as he does and will do our best to protect it and our people."

* * *

Two weeks later, a corporal banged
on my door shortly after midnight. My days were full and active, and
consequently I usually retired early. Tzadok worked with me for a few hours in
the morning and afternoon. After dinner, I spent an hour with my whip
practicing, showered, and then spent a few hours relaxing, reading works by the
ancient philosophers and various theses on war, like Sun Tzu’s "The Art of
War."

"Captain Sapir, Commander
Wexler wants to see you immediately in his office."

"Tell the Commander I’m on my
way," I said, jumping out of bed and dressing as fast as I could.
Fortunately, our dress and work uniforms were the same and not elaborate so I
was finished and out the door in a few minutes. The door was open when I arrived
and the corporal waved for me to enter. When I did, I heard the door close behind
me. I bowed low. He stared at me in silence for several minutes.

"Sapir, I have an emergency
request from General Issak on the planet New Keif requesting help from the
Guard. Rebels have taken control of the capital buildings. The Jax have a contract
to clear the building, but the army’s attempts have repeatedly failed.
Commandos have joined the army, but even together they have only managed to
gain control of ten percent of one building. It’s unclear if he wants the Guard
as advisors or to perform some kind of miracle." Wexler paused for a drink
of his wine and stared at me. "This is not our traditional role, but I’m
afraid your performance on Lanzhou has made us officially the Black—as in
death—Guard and invincible. I liked our traditional role, Sapir. Since
you are at least partially responsible, I’m sending you and your Molova team
plus an additional ten Guard. Distribute them any way you want. Your team is being
assembled as we speak, and three shuttles will arrive within the hour to
deliver you to the space station where the Black Leopard awaits you. Any
questions?"

"No, sir."

"Good, I don’t have any
answers." He gave a snort. "Take no prisoners… We need a new saying,
Sapir," he said, concern in his eyes.

"Yes, sir," I said,
bowed low, and left the office. I agreed with Wexler. The Guard’s traditional
"Take no prisoners" meaning to die fighting separated tradition from
duty as I did, but it put the emphasis on tradition rather than on duty.

* * *

When I arrived at the shuttle
landing pad, the team had already assembled. Ceder shouted,
"Attention" when he saw me, and he and a female Lieutenant with him
bowed low.

"At ease," I said,
examining the thirty individuals gathered behind them. "Lieutenant?"
I asked, standing in front of the tall red headed female.

"Elijah, sir. The ten new
troops assigned to you were my detail at Paradise. We arrived back last month,
but were on leave until a few days ago."

"Welcome aboard, Lieutenant Elijah,"
I said, and walked in front of the troops. "This is a high priority
assignment, and like you, I was only notified a few hours ago. We are going to
the planet New Keif where the government buildings at Brasilla, the capital,
have been taken over by non-government personnel. The army doesn’t appear to
know how to clear the building, so we’ve been invited." I paused,
surveying expressionless faces. "No, this isn’t a typical assignment, and
no, I don’t know what will be expected of us. It’s a two day cruise to New Keif
so the situation may change by the time we arrive. For now, get to know every
member of this team you don’t know. It may be helpful if we have to serve
eviction notices to the current tenants." That elicited a few smiles. This
situation felt a lot like Lanzhou except on New Keif the rebels were already in
the buildings, and we weren’t, so we weren’t going to be a surprise. The sound
of approaching combat shuttles broke into my musing.

Lost in thought as I was, the
flight to the Jax spaceport, Adamah, seemed to be over in minutes. After I
cleared security, a stocky, craggy-faced commando lieutenant met me at the
entrance to the Black Leopard
.

He saluted. "Captain Sapir, I’m
Lieutenant Froman. If you will follow me, I’ll take you to your quarters.
Afterward, Colonel Helon has requested you meet with him at your convenience
but as soon as possible. My sergeant will see to your detail."

When I nodded, he led me to the
commando area and a single person room. At my request, he was back in fifteen
minutes and escorted me to the colonel’s office. The corporal on duty opened
his door and bowed as I approached. The colonel stood when I entered, and I gave
a shallow bow which he returned.

"What would you like to
drink, Captain?" He waved me to one of his two armchairs.

"Water, thank you, Colonel
Helon," I said. As I sat, I felt the slight shudder I associated with the
cruiser powering away from the spaceport.

"We’re in a hurry." He
snorted. "I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the Guard being requested to
join the army for a civil disturbance." He took a drink from his glass of
wine while the corporal placed a glass of water on a small table next to me.

"Commander Wexler also
thought it unusual. Do you know what the situation is at Brasilla? All I know
is that General Issak made the request to Commander Wexler, and I and thirty
Guard were told to get our butts to New Keif." I shrugged, and he laughed.

"Ours is not to reason why,
but to do or die." He lapsed into silence.

"I think the Commander
mentioned that to me," I said, reflecting on the emphasis on dying when
related to duty.

"The army was contracted to
put down a group of dissidents, but by the time the army arrived, the
opposition had overrun the capital, Brasilla, and were in control of the
government’s buildings. General Issak ordered an additional fifty commandos
deployed and together with the approximate one hundred sixty-five army that
remained of the two hundred contracted, they managed to reclaim ten percent of
one of the three buildings. But the casualties were heavy, since the contract
prohibits using explosives to attack the buildings—or grenades and
missiles inside the building. Colonel Feber had lost eighteen and had twenty-six
wounded as of the last information I received. This is not the kind of fight
the army or commandos train for." He nodded as if agreeing with himself.
"I presume the General thought it was more a job for the Black Guard,
especially after Lanzhou."

"I seem to remember we were
on the inside like the dissidents are at Brasilla, rather than the outside like
the army. And we had the element of surprise then but not now."

"But you know Generals, they
don’t get confused with minor details. He’s ordered the Leopard to drop an
additional fifty commandos to support you and Colonel Feber, if that
helps."

"Greater force is more of an
army strategy, not the Guard. I doubt Commander Wexler sent the Guard to
supplement the army assault."

"Ah, but what does General
Issak think?" He laughed. Yes, I’d wager all the players—Wexler,
Issak, and Feber—had different expectations. I had none.

* * *

When I walked into the conference
room, Ceder called "Guard" and everyone braced to attention. The
conference room was small and since the lieutenants had elected to remain
standing so had everyone else.

"At ease. Get comfortable,
sit or lean against something. Here is what I’ve learned from Colonel Helon…"
I went on to tell them what he knew, which didn’t resolve the basic
question—why the Guard. "Since the situation is not a normal Guard
assignment, Commander Wexler gave me no specific orders except to go to New
Keif. I believe he is relying on us to determine how we can best support the
Jax units on the ground to liberate the buildings. And we can’t do that until
we get there and assess the situation. Lieutenant Elijah, get with Lieutenant
Ceder and identify four of your least experienced men. Lieutenant Ceder will
assign them to fill in his existing two teams. That will give us four teams of
six members each. You will command the teams headed by Senior Sergeant Mintz
and Senior Sergeant Solow." I looked to her. She bowed acknowledgement.
"That keeps the women fairly distributed and your least experienced
members with experienced teams. By the time we leave the
Black Leopard
,
I expect everyone to not only know who they report to and their teammates, but
to know everyone on this detail. You are not to rely on identifying them by
their uniform. I want face recognition. It’s your individual responsibility,
the sergeants, and the Lieutenants to make sure that happens. Clear?"
Hearing no questions, I left my lieutenants to get the ball rolling.

For the next two days, I walked
around talking to every man and woman. It was also my responsibility.

* * *

The Black Leopard arrived in New
Keif shortly after midnight, Brasilla time. For the next three hours, shuttles
delivered the fifty commando to the ground. We were transported last. We landed
on what appeared to be an active landing field. When I exited, I was met by a
Lieutenant Hersh and escorted to Colonel Feber’s field office in Brasilla,
which looked like it might have been a clothing store at one time. Today, the
central part of the room had been cleared to make room for tables full of maps
and communications equipment. Feber was a short stocky man with black hair
turning grey at the temples and a square face. He looked up as Hersh and I
approached.

"Captain Sapir?" he
queried. I nodded acknowledgement, stopped within a couple of steps of him, and
gave a shallow bow. "This is Captain Latner." He nodded toward a
stern looking man standing next to him. His soiled dark blue uniform looked to
have seen action recently. "I’d like you to join him and his commandos on
his assault of the capitol building."

"I don’t believe that would
be advisable," I said, aware that the room had become very quiet.

"I don’t really care what you
think, Captain. You will do as I say. Is that clear?" He shouted the last
words.

"Colonel, I don’t report to
you and, therefore, don’t acknowledge your right to give orders to the Black
Guard. After I assess the situation here I will discuss my conclusions with you
and consider any options you see."

"I out rank you, Captain.
Under contract conditions, you can be imprisoned for disobeying an order by a
superior officer."

"Colonel, the only Jax
officer superior to me is Commander Wexler, besides the JAX Defense Director,
and they’re not here. So, as the senior Guard officer on station, I will
determine where and when my detail is deployed." I held up my hand before
Feber could reply. He shut his mouth, but his eyes narrowed and his face
twisted in anger. "I’m here to help and will. I have to assume General
Issak sought Commander Wexler’s help because of the Black Guard’s expertise in
close quarters fighting. If we joined Captain Latner in an assault, we wouldn’t
fight as a coordinated unit because we haven’t trained together, and our styles
are different. It might even increase the number of fatalities."

Latner nodded agreement.

Feber stared as me for a long
time. "What do you want?" he asked, reluctantly.

"To review your current troop
deployment and plans over the next few hours, so I can get a feel for the
situation," I said. Feber nodded and went to stand next to Latner who was
at a long table with maps. When I joined them, Feber spoke.

"There are three government
buildings which the opposing forces now occupy: the Administration Building,
the General Assembly Hall, and the Presidential Offices," he said, while
pointing to three buildings: a long rectangular two-story, a round three-story,
and a square two-story. "We currently occupy about twenty percent of the
lower half of the Administration Building, and seventy percent of the area
surrounding those buildings. They still maintain control of the areas adjoining
the buildings and a corridor behind the Administration Building leading into
the low-income residential district. Captain Latner will be leading a force of
fifty commandos, with army cover support, against the presidential offices in
about three hours."

"That will be approximately
two hours before daylight and the time when they should be the least alert. The
army will fake a ground attack while we drop onto the roof of the general
assembly hall, which is flat around the central dome," Latner added. I
wondered why they expected the rebels to be relaxing with an army surrounding
them, or not concerned that army wouldn’t try to land troops on the roof and
enter via the dome. Surprise either works for or against you.
If the rebels have considered the dome, the
commandos are going to pay dearly.